“The only way that we can live is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed.”In my last blog, I talked about the concept of change and its importance in the spectrum of overcoming underachievement and failure and reaching meaningful success. I said that our team was at a turning point in our season and I truly felt that the way we handled ourselves in the midst of a bad final out-of-conference loss and a mediocre start to the season, would come to define our team and dictate how the rest of the season would unfold for us. Well, I am happy to be sitting here writing to you with news that we bounced back this past weekend and opened up conference play with two wins (against Rider and Loyola, respectively). Rider was 5-1-2 heading into our game with them; We hadn’t beaten Loyola in the regular season for more than a decade. So how did the momentum shift? How did we manage to grow and change and learn and win after being beaten and exposed? We worked.To steal a line from one of my all-time favorite movies, Remember the Titans, “Attitude reflects leadership.” In the hierarchy of influence within the framework of a collegiate soccer team, the coaching staff assumes the primary leadership role and they are supported and supplemented by their selected captains. When a team is at a turning point in their season, leadership becomes paramount. It’s easy to handle a team and motivate players when things are going well. It’s much more difficult to stay upbeat and help inspire positive change when things are not working out as planned and when efforts to improve go unrequited. When we arrived back at Fairfield after our last out of conference game before MAAC play (a 4-1 loss to Fordham), the coaching staff met with me and my fellow senior captains and demanded change, improvement, effort, and accountability. They let us know that things needed to be better or this season and our senior year was going to be lost.

Our Associate Head Coach, Sean Driscoll, followed these post-game sentiments with a motivating and passionate speech to the team the following morning that resulted in an almost immediate attitude change from every member of the team and included an impromptu, voluntary team training session on what was supposed to be a day off. Everyone wanted to get better and knew that the upcoming week of training would be vital in setting the tone with how we were going to enter conference play. The following morning was another test in our commitment to improve and it included a grueling track workout consisting of completing 9 timed 400m sprints. The next several days of practice were competitive and constructive and each training session seemed intent on improving our weaknesses - namely making us more dynamic in our attack and more focused in our finishing. To top it off, each training session ended with Coach Driscoll doing extra work with us to improve everything from our basic shooting technique to finishing off crosses to 3-man combination play in the attacking third to extra work on set pieces. Our week of training was extremely productive and we went into Friday’s game against Rider with a statement to make about our team’s abilities.Coach O’Brien said before our game that the “theme” of the weekend had to be mental toughness. We had to be tenacious in our pursuit of success and stay determined but composed in high-pressure situations. The results of the games that followed this pregame talk were a direct indication that we understood the meaning of mental toughness and we were ready to use it to change the course of our season.

We scored in the final 40 seconds of regulation time against Rider to win 1-0; We scored first against Loyola - gave up an equalizer - and then responded by scoring the decisive goal less than 2 minutes later. What’s interesting to note about the goals that were scored in these games is not the quality of shots that we took that resulted in important finishes - but rather how and when these vital scoring opportunities came into fruition. The goal against Rider came with less than a minute before overtime at a point in the game where both teams were exhausted. While in past games we have let games drag on into extra minutes and left the field with a draw, this game was different in that we pushed through our fatigue, went on the attack, and finished the game off in the final minute before Rider could get a chance to regroup in overtime. The goal came off a strong effort by junior forward Carly Beyar to create space for herself and rip a shot on goal. While the initial effort was saved, junior Jac Ley found the energy to follow the rebound and emphatically finish the loose ball into the net. Our goals against Loyola came first from a breakaway by sophomore, Ashley Small, (assisted by Carly Beyar) a few minutes after Ashley had failed to finish a similar scoring attempt. Ashley didn’t let a previous setback deter her from finishing her next opportunity and just like that, we were up 1-0. Loyola got back into the game with a great goal of their own, but less than two minutes later, we responded with a great header goal by sophomore, Erin Petterson, that came off a combination between our center midfielder, outside back, and opposite outside midfielder. We had practiced that exact pattern of play countless times in practice, and we composed ourselves and executed the play to a tee, resulting in a 2-1 victory. Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to get that running start toward the success that you want. We certainly have had our setbacks this year but the important thing is how we have responded to them. We are 2-0 in conference, working hard, and staying focused. We have all the momentum we could want heading into 2 huge conference games at home and with determined effort and mental toughness, I’m expecting great things.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to updating you after our important weekend of games against Niagara University and Canisius College.Go Stags!Breathe. Battle. Believe.L. Reilly

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Lauren Reilly

Reilly is a senior captain at Fairfield University, playing in the midfield or as a forward. In 2011, she was selected All-MAAC Second Team and All-MAAC Academic Team. This past summer she played for New England Mutiny in WPSL Elite. Off the field, she is an English major.